How to Connect to Unsecured Wireless

It's easy to connect your computer to an unsecured wireless network, but may not be safe.

An unsecured wireless network is one in which no encryption key has been set up. This means that anyone can connect to the network, making it potentially unsafe to conduct secure business on, such as online banking or anything else you wouldn't want a third party listening in on. If you need to connect to an unsecured wireless network, though, you can do so just as easily as connecting to a secured network.

Instructions

1. Start up your computer and ensure that your wireless network card's physical hardware switch is on, if such a switch exists on your computer.

2. Right-click on the wireless icon in the system tray of the computer and then click "Connect to a network."

3. Select which network you wish to connect to. Note that networks that have a yellow exclamation point over them are unsecured.

4. Click the "Connect" button. When informed that the network is unsecured, click "Connect Anyway." Your computer will be connected to the wireless network.

References

• Wi-Fi Planet: Connecting to Wi-Fi Networks Using Windows Vista